A Mage's Beast
by feey
Summary: Beauty and the Beast. Kallia is sent by the king to a forgotten castle, whose master is a shadowy figure rumored to be a beast. Yet in this mage's castle, dying roses are the key to survival. Final chapter is up.
1. Chapter 1

She stared at the imposing castle before her, her breath taken away.

"You go on alone from her," the man beside her said shortly. She looked over, her breath making a small cloud in front of her due to the cold air. He was a short, squat man, not used to the exertions of riding. His cheeks were even redder than they usually were, and his eyes belayed his desire to return to a warm fire and a comfortable chair.

She did not blame him; for all that lay ahead was the dark castle and its master, a supposedly horrible, ugly, and cruel beast. Despite the earlier warnings of the castle steward and the man beside her, the head of the staff, she did not believe that the master of the castle could be that horrible. She trusted that her father would never send her to a creature, man or beast, which was that wicked. She was his youngest daughter, after all. Perhaps the castle's master was simply a man horribly disfigured, and thus he preferred solitude to the ridicule of his peers.

When the head of the castle staff continued to look at her, silent, she sighed and dismounted. The docile mare snorted as she gave the reins to him as he sat on his tall charger, and she turned her back on the two horses and the stern faced man. The gates opened with a rusty groan; she left them open after she had walked through. They shut suddenly on their own, and she turned in shock, noting in the back of her mind that she was now alone.

A tug on her sleeve brought her out of her shock, but when she turned, there was no one there. Invisible hands, small enough to be those of children (were there such things as invisible pages?) tugged on her cloak, pulling her towards the foreboding castle. Sighing, she followed the tugs. Once they reached the doors of the castle, the tugs stopped and the doors opened wide before her. Hesitating only slightly, she walked in, prepared for the worst.

The castle's interior surprised her. The hallways were lit by warm sconces, illuminating walls painted in warm tones that were paneled halfway in a dark wood. The portraits that hung on the wall were of men and women robed in the clothes that were not typical of the garments worn by the upper classes. Pausing at one of a woman smirking behind thick glasses and wavy auburn hair, she read the bronze nameplate: _Maga Magna Natalia Pittmana._ Her eyes widening in shock, she turned to the woman's opposing picture, another woman, but this one smiled upon the hall, her blonde hair cut short. Here the name tag read _Maga Anggela Meraklia._ Frowning, the girl walked three portraits down, where a frame held an elderly man, who was also frowning. His nameplate read _Magus Magnus Larius Masius._

"You'll find that they all bear the title _Magus_, in some form or fashion," a voice said behind her. Gasping, she whirled around; she had not heard the other person come in.

It turned out that person was not the best descriptor for the hall's other occupant. Hidden partially by shadows, a great beast stood looking at her. Dark auburn fur covered his body, and a thick, darker brown mane spilled over his shoulders and down the back of his neck. His legs, bent like a wolf's, ended in two huge, clawed paws, as did his arms. Standing on two feet, as he did now, the beast was over seven feet. Yet despite his animal nature, the beast wore clothes. Fawn coloured breeches covered his legs, and he wore a simple white shirt and black vest as well. Only his feet were bare.

She stared at him, unblinking, until her starved lungs reminded her that she had to breathe. Gasping, she took in a breath, apologizing on the next. The beast waved it off, shaking his head.

"I was the one who surprised you," he said, a little sadly, for explanation. "Come into the next room; there is a fire going and it is warmer." He turned and went down the hallway to the now open door at the end of it. She watched him for a moment and then warily followed him, her soft footsteps echoing where his had been silent.

When she arrived in the room, she saw that it was indeed warmed by a pleasant fire. The beast sat down in a large, overstuffed chair and when she did not move from the doorway, sighed and waved his paw at the other chair in the room.

"I won't eat you, so sit." Gulping, she walked over and gingerly sat facing him. His grey eyes watched her steadily, and she was surprised to see a very human light in them.

"Now," he asked after a few moments. "You may call me Beast. After all," he added cynically, "It is what I am. Now, may I know your name and why you are here?"

"Oh! Ah, it's Kallia. And, well… I guess you could say the king sent me." She turned her eyes down to her hands, suddenly extremely embarrassed about her reason for coming.

"The king?" the beast asked delicately. "Did he have a reason?" She shrugged, looking up again.

"He told my father."

"So you were bait," the beast snarled softly, standing. Kallia gasped, looking up at him, horrified.

"No! My father would never do that!" she protested, trying not to think of how her agreeing to come to this foreboding castle had allowed her sister to marry the prince. It was hard though, and the thoughts of possible betrayal caused tears to come to her eyes, and those she also tried to keep from spilling. But she held firm to her belief that she had not been sent as bait for this beast.

The beast had turned, the anger fading from his eyes. Sighing, he extended a paw to her.

"Come, you can stay here for as long as you like," he promised softly. "You are tired and shocked from realising it is a beast who is master of this castle. I will show you to your room." Nodding, she took his paw after hesitating only a moment and stood. He turned to a door opening to another hallway, and she followed him silently.

He lead her up a flight of stairs and through many hallways, some dusty with disuse. To keep her mind off the appearance of her host, she looked at the hallway to her right. Portraits graced some stretches of the hallways; most of them looked to be mages as well, though some wore the clothes of the upper nobility. In other parts of the hallways, huge tapestries hung. No where were there windows; the hallways were lit with gas lamps, though how Beast managed to keep them all lit and free of smoke she could not conceive of.

"Here is your room," he said softly. "If there is anything you need, just say it aloud, and it will come to you." She stared at him, shocked at his comment.

"Like… magic?" she asked, too surprised to notice his terrifying appearance for the moment.

"Yes. This castle was once the home of a powerful mage," he answered, using the same stilted voice he had when she had mentioned the king.

"I will let you get some rest," he said, excusing himself. "You may take your meals in your rooms, if you feel so inclined. All I ask is that you leave the third floor alone. Those are my rooms." She nodded, her eyes downcast again, and he bowed his head slightly before leaving her, disappearing into the dark halls. Sighing, she entered her room.

The room was beautiful, well furnished but not overdone. The bed was a massive four poster with a velvet canopy. Thick down quilts covered it and there were more pillows than anyone could ever need upon it. Turning from the bed, she could glimpse the bathing room; its bathtub was a big soaker claw footed tub, the kind the king was rumored to have. Across from the bed were a ceiling high bookcase and a low backed, overstuffed chair. Walking over to the bookcase, she found that it was filled with books of all sorts; romances, poetry, histories, and others. She smiled wanly at this, and then walked over to the room's large window. It had a window seat with thick cushions. She opened the curtains a bit, but could not see much in the winter night.

"Tomorrow," she whispered, wondering if she would see tomorrow. The beast had seemed nice enough, for a human even, but he was still a beast. He had even admitted it when he introduced himself. She wondered how he had come to live here, where a mage had once dwelled. Perhaps he was a servant the mage had summoned and outlived his master.

She walked into the bathing room, suddenly very desirous for a hot bath. Looking at the huge tub, she wondered if the magic in the castle would fill the bath for her. She did not want to have to haul the water all the way up here.

"I… I'd like a hot bath please," she asked timorously, and was surprised to hear a steaming noise as the bath was filled with steaming water and aromatic oils.

"Could I also have a cup of tea and a tea biscuit, please?" she asked after a moment and was happy to see a cup of steaming tea, milk, sugar, and a tea biscuit appear on a tray.

"Thank you," she said self consciously, not knowing how one thanked a house. Shunning her clothes, she stepped into the hot bath, happy to soak and sip her tea.

--

The Beast sat in his favourite chair in the room that once served as an office, staring at the fire. He had felt the girl's request for a hot bath and tea and it had pleased him to hear her "thank you". He was master of the castle, and thus knew of all the magic that occurred within it if he so desired.

Groaning, he rubbed his face with his paws. He had thought that he was done with his relations with the king, but now it seemed not so. Despite Kallia's protestations, he was certain that she had been sent as bait. Though for what, he was not sure. Did the king truly think that he would have eaten the girl?

An invisible presence made itself known at the door of the library. He motioned with one of his claws, beckoning the presence forward. It was one of the washer entities. He opened his mind to the entity's thoughts, and his earlier feelings were confirmed. The girl's clothes had been stuffed with enough arsenic in the hems to kill him.

"Get rid of it and make sure that there is none on her to harm her tonight," he commanded softly and the entity turned to leave with its orders.

"Wait," he called out. "Do not inform her of this. She does not need to know of the king's machinations." The washer entity sent out an affirmation and then disappeared. The Beast sighed, standing to leave the room. Perhaps, if the girl remained here, the king would think them both dead. With his safety assured, he would no longer look to this old castle and its inhabitants.

"I must keep her here," he muttered to himself. "She is too naïve to understand, but it will be for her own good." This settled, he left for his rooms, and the lights flickered off and the door swung behind him, his footsteps silent on the carpeted floor.

--

Kallia spent the next weeks finding her way around the castle. She had been surprised, though pleased, upon waking after her first night to find an armoire full of clothes her size. Most were plain, everyday wear, though some were evening dresses of the same quality as the upper nobilities'.

Her quiet excursions around the castle caused the Beast to think of her as a little mouse. The few times they ran into each other, however, he made sure not to call her that. He could see that she was beginning to trust him, and he did not want to goad her into leaving. He enjoyed her company after so many years of solitude, even if it was silent company.

The window in Kallia's room looked out towards the castle's main garden. It was tucked in the back, behind the main wing and between the two side wings of the castle. It was lined with hedges, but they, as the plants in the garden, were withering. She could tell, that despite the coming of spring, the plants would not grow. She longed to go out to the garden, to try and save the plants, but was afraid too. This was due to the numerous rose bushes in the garden. When she had finally found her way down to the garden's entrance, she had seen the roses, her favourite flower. She was about to go and look at them when she saw the top of the Beast's head above the hedges. Biting her lip, she had turned and fled back up to her room. There she looked out and was able to see the Beast standing among the roses. He would gently hold one in his paw, then his shoulders slumped (she assumed he was sighing), and he would let it go. Kallia could not help but notice how attached this creature was to the roses. And they were dying.

Everyday he would go out to the garden, and she would be waiting in her window seat, a book on her lap. He went out every morning, after the tenth hour rang out on the clocks. Each day as she watched him, she lost some of her fear of him. A beast who loved roses as much as he did could not be a monstrous beast. After a while, she was able to speak to him when they met in the hallway. The first time she spoke to him, apologizing for being a horrible guest, he had been surprised to see her looking at him. She could not miss the gratitude and relief that also flickered through his man-like eyes though. So when he asked if she would join him for dinner, she had to accept.

The meal was simple, yet filling; it consisted of a thick stew and coarse, flavourful bread. Kallia tried not to stare, but she was insanely curious all of a sudden as to how the Beast would eat. He asked her a few questions, and she latched on to them so not to be rude by staring. Though as she nattered on, she did get a good view of how he ate, for she tried to keep eye contact, as was polite, as much as possible.

He would take a spoonful of stew, or a piece of bread soaked with stew, and gingerly place it in his mouth. He never chewed, only swallowed. She supposed it was because he did not have teeth that were well suited to chewing, as a human's are.

She talked about her family, how her mother had passed away when she was young and how hard that had been for her father. He was a great merchant prince, a man who brought himself up from almost nothing to being able to lend money to the king.

"He messed a trade up, though," she said, pausing to eat some stew. "And the king came to him to discuss something. It ended up with me coming here and my sister being betrothed to the prince. Our mother was distantly related to the king, so I guess that's how he managed it." The Beast nodded, silent as he had been through most of dinner. She suddenly felt childish for talking so much.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, looking down at her almost empty stew bowl.

"For what may I ask?" he inquired, amusement dancing in his voice.

"I've done nothing but talk… and…" He chuckled at her reason, and she looked up, surprised. He looked a bit surprised as well, to hear a happy sound come out of his throat.

"I've lived here far too long in solitude," he said. "I stopped talking to myself long ago because the echoes only made it worse. I enjoy hearing someone else's voice, so by all means, talk."

She smiled weakly and dinner continued, ending with a large portion of sticky toffee pudding. She managed to insert a few questions of her own into the conversation, and the Beast answered some of them very shortly and some not as shortly, but those about the castle he answered as fully as possible.

"There is a great library in the back wing of the castle where your rooms are located, on the first floor." He said in response to her comment on how she had almost finished the books in her room. "It may be dusty, for I rarely use it, but just ask for it to be dusted if that's the case. There's a great variety of books, from languages to travel to fictions. However, leave the books in the glass case alone. They are books on magic, and can be dangerous to even hold." She nodded, promising to stay away from the glass case and thanking him for the information.

He stood, as they were both finished, and extended his arm.

"Come, I'll show you where it is." She placed her hand on his arm, and he led her to where the huge library was located.

When he opened the doors, the last of the shelves were being dusted and the covers had all been taken off the numerous overstuffed armchairs. Kallia gasped in delight and walked into the great room, revolving to get a better look at all the books. It was a circular room, filled with shelves that went all the way to the ceiling. The doors were set in a niche, and windows framed the section of the wall opposite the doors. There was a second niche set behind a cluster of chairs where the glass case was situated.

"I'll leave you to your explorations," the Beast said, his voice soft and strained. "Good night Kallia and thank you for dining with me."

She turned to reply, "No, thank you!" He smiled weakly and left, his footsteps silent as he disappeared. She bit her bottom lip, wondering why he was suddenly so sad. She felt a tingling in her mind, but when she looked around her, no one was there. Wondering if the invisible servants were trying to tell her something, she perused the shelves. Upon finding a section devoted to Latin poetry, the thought fled from her mind as she picked books out and flipped through them.

--

The Beast stood on his balcony, looking out over the garden. As chance would have it, his rooms were almost exactly above Kallia's, and thus he had the same view. His paws gripped the stone barrister, and the strong claws made small gouge marks in the cold stone.

It had been hard to return to the library, the place that had always been his sanctuary, no matter where he was. He had once reveled in its book filled heights, much as Kallia had, but now there was only sorrow. He could no longer read a book without damaging it with his claws, and after he tore the first few, he stopped reading. It was too painful to look upon the tattered pages, and the books that had once comforted him now pained him.

How he longed to read again though. He missed it so much, even more than human company sometimes. Books were constant, man was not.

Growling softly to himself, he clenched his paws and the stone cracked in his grip. The broken off fragments cut into his flesh, reminding him to let go. He did so wearily, sighing. What was the use in remembering what was? It would never be so again. He was stuck like this, a monster alone, forever. In despair, he walked back into his rooms, but stopped at the portrait on the floor that leaned against the wall.

It was of a handsome young man wearing the robes of a mage with deep brown hair and grey eyes. A confident smile played on his lips and his eyes were lit in triumph.

"Get rid of it," the Beast snarled, and the portrait disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and put this story on the fave's or alterts! It means a lot to me.

----

Kallia shielded her eyes as she looked up towards the weak spring sun. Winter had just broken, and new life was poking up in various places around the castle. The garden, however, was absent of new life, filled only with slowly dying plants. 

She, however, was trying to change that. After learning the Beast's schedule by heart, she now snuck down to the garden after his morning visits and worked among the many rose bushes, trying to save them. She kept her work secret from him by asking the invisible servants not to mention her actions to him, not as much as because she still feared him, but because this place seemed to be more special to him than his own rooms, where she was not allowed to go. And yet she felt that surprising him with a garden that would grow again was a proper thank you for him allowing her to remain at the castle.

The castle was not huge like the king's castle in Polteia, where she had once lived, but more of a modest sized castle, or a large mansion. But this suited her just fine; it was harder to get lost.

She spent most of her time now either in the library or the garden, and her dinners were spent with the Beast. The first week of these shared dinners she had offered for him to join her in the library after dinner, but he always refused and a pained look would come across his face. She stopped offering, and he seemed happier for it. Other than that, though, he seemed to enjoy her company more and more as he was drawn out of his solitude. She too coming to enjoy his company as well; he was a kind and learned beast who was able to answer just about any question she put to him if he so chose.

The clock in the castle struck two, and she could dimly hear its ringing. Standing, she brushed the dirt off her moss green skirt and picked up her trowel and hand rake. She kept these in a small box tucked between the doorframe and the wall; the invisible servants had shown it to her when she had asked for a place to keep the tools. Returning them, she then went inside to clean up and relax before dinner. The Beast would be coming out soon to walk around the grounds.

-----------

The Beast strolled around the perimeter of the castle, noting the new life and enjoying the sun of the waning season. It was a new year, and another had passed as a beast. Spring usually was a sad reminder of the life he had lost, of the friends and paramours that were lost with it. But this time, it was different.

The rose garden, which had been dying for some time now, was beginning to regain its lost life. The roses felt more alive when he gently held the bulbs in his hand, and the stalks were streaked with a more vibrant green. New leaves, bright green in their youth, were budding and even new bushes were sending out their first tentative shoots.

The return of life, though slow, had begun not long after winter first began to retreat. It had been slow, but sure, and now the results were becoming evident. At first he had been at a loss as to how it had happened, but then he began to wonder if it had something to do with Kallia. Not long after he had noticed the new life, he had his answer.

He had passed by the doors that led to the balcony in his room when he saw movement out in the garden. Pausing, he looked out, only to duck behind the curtains. Kallia was among the roses, tending them. He could not tell for certain, but he thought that she was also speaking to them. She was bringing new life to the castle, and he now wondered if she had somehow affected the spell on the grounds. But this would have to remain unknown; the workings of magic had long been beyond him. Now he spent much of his time watching her tend the garden, a smile playing on his face.

Kallia's presence in the castle was a welcome one. At first, he had thought to keep her here for her own protection, but now he welcomed her company for its own sake. She was kind, though naïve, and very accepting for a girl of her seventeen years. Her mind was quick, and he enjoyed his conversations with her and answering her questions; it was very hard to have an intellectual conversation with the invisible servants. They simply saw no point to hypotheticals and postulations. He had forgotten what is was like to be around a woman, and while it made his heart lighter, it also saddened him a great deal. When a dark mood would hit him, he always wondered what was the point of all this, that he would have been better off to have sent the girl away to a nearby village where she could then go somewhere far away and safe instead of keeping her here and tormenting his heart with could- be's and should- be's.

So much had changed. He was no longer the confident and, he admitted it now, slightly arrogant, and sometimes more than slightly arrogant, young man he had once been. Magic, which had once been the answer to everything, could no longer help him, and he constantly lamented his youthful surety in its power.

Walking through the garden, lost in thought, the Beast did not notice the rustle in the forest beyond the castle walls.

--

Kallia was overjoyed with the garden's progress. New shoots were visible on the bushes and in the ground, and the Beast had noticed them. He was happier now and more relaxed. She felt vindicated after causing him pain over the library now.

She was bent over, turning the soil with her hand rake, when a low growling caught her attention. She turned to see a silver mountain lion, gaunt with hunger, leap down from the castle wall. Her mouth dry and her eyes wide, she slowly stood up. The mountain lion took a few measured steps forward, and she backed up as quickly as she could without inciting it to attack.

Suddenly it screamed and leapt forward; she pushed herself into the thorny protection of the rose bushes, screaming as it passed her. She pushed herself as far in as she could, curling up at the base of one of the bushes beside the wall. The hollow was too far back for the mountain lion to reach her, and she sat there, trembling, as she listened to its screams of fury and desperation.

--

The Beast ran through the castle halls, tearing through the open doors and heading towards the garden. The invisible entities had alerted him to something foreign on the grounds, and he was making his way to the garden when he heard the screams. He ran down to the garden, worried for Kallia.

When he reached the garden, he saw the mountain lion crouched beside the roses, swiping its paw below the thorny branches, trying to get at what hid within the bushes. Roaring in anger, he attacked the animal that dared to attack his guest on his territory.

The mountain lion was stronger than it looked, but it may have gained strength out of great desperation. The Beast was able to kill the animal, though he gained wounds from gouging claws and tearing teeth in the process.

His chest heaving, he looked at the carcass of the dead mountain lion in disgust. He hated it when this happened. He hated being reminded that he held onto what remained of his humanity by very thin threads.

"Dispose of this, please," he commanded and turned to face the bushes.

"Kallia?" he called out softly, "Are you alright?" A tremulous "yes" came out of the bushes, and he relaxed.

"Are you against the wall?" Again she replied in the affirmative, and the Beast leapt up onto the garden wall, ignoring a side wound that tore in the process.

_I used to be able to do this with magic,_ he thought in disgust. This disgust was not only at what he had become, but what he had been then.

He looked down and was able to see Kallia looking up at him, her face dirty with tears and dirt. Her clothes were torn from the grasping briars and she bore scratches from them, but she was fine overall. His heart released a sigh he had been unaware of it holding, and he was suddenly very glad that it was a silent sigh.

"Grab onto my arm and I will pull you up," he commanded, reaching down. She stood as much as she could, wrapping her arms around his. He then pulled her up as gently as he could, though she still bit her lip as the roses grabbed and the wall bumped up against her. After he had pulled her up, the Beast led Kallia to where the rose bushes ended. He jumped down first, and then caught her as she jumped down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Kallia collapsed into a faint. The Beast caught her, and smiling softly, he carried her up to her room. The covers were pulled over her sleeping form as he exited the room, heading for the library, of all places. He wanted the book filled walls to encircle him, to protect him from the real world and all its tragedies as they once had.

Sitting in his favourite old armchair after he had bound his wounds, he drank the glass of mulled wine that had been brought to him. His tongue discreetly lapped at the soothing liquid as he stared into the fire, remembering long off days and his brother.

--

_"What have you done to me?" he screamed, writhing in pain. His hands, no they were now paws, held his head, which felt as if it were being cleaved by a dull axe. He glared at his brother, standing only a few paces away._

_"Think of it as being for your own good," Caeluum smirked. "I'm helping you brother."_

_A wave of agony rippled through his body, and he bit off a strangled scream._

_"I don't want your help!" he snarled through gritted teeth. A chuckle from behind him caused Caeluum to look away from his changed form. He wished more than ever that he was not in this much pain; the desire to tear the man behind him apart almost blinded him._

_"The wards are set; he cannot leave the castle grounds until he has regained his form," an oily voice said triumphantly. It was the palace mage, Gollan. Gollan was the one who had turned him into a beast. And it was Gollan who called out a sarcastic goodbye as he and Caeluum left the castle, laughing between themselves. He lay there, on the floor of the Great Hall, wishing that he would either die or black out. He was granted the latter._

_When he woke, he was in his rooms. He stood slowly, unused to his new body. Disgust soon turned to loathing as he stumbled around his room. He fell countless times, tripping over his new feet or from not moving his legs correctly._

_A tingling in his mind alerted him to the presence of another._

_"Who's there?" he called out, or rather, tried to call out. He could not get his tongue to sound out the words, and it came out as a jumbled mess. He tried a few more times, becoming more and more frustrated, until he gave up._

_:Who are you?: he asked the patient presence._

_:We come to serve,: the presence answered, sending images of how he and his had carried the Beast up to his room, how they had righted everything while he slept. He showed the Beast how they could cook and care for both him and his castle. What they wanted in return was a place to stay._

_He did not understand how the presences had come to his castle, or why they needed a place to stay. The entity did not elaborate, and he did not ask it to. An agreement was reached, and the Beast settled into his new life. _

_It was hard. It took him a couple weeks to figure out how to move in his new body. It was months before he could run and jump like any wolf or big cat. Speaking was harder. Hearing his mangled words and empty echoes made him angry and lonely, but he continued his efforts anyways. If nothing else, it would allow him to retain some of his humanity and his dignity, no matter what his brother and Gollan wanted._

_Still… it had been so very hard._

--

When Kallia awoke, she jerked upright, as if from a terrible nightmare. She rubbed her hands along her arms, but stopped when she felt bandages. Slowly she extended one arm, staring at it horrified. It had happened. She had been attacked by a starving mountain lion, and the Beast had saved her.

The Beast.

Kallia jumped out of bed and ran to the door to see how he was, but stopped when she noticed the state of her clothes. She yanked them off, kicking them into a corner, and pulled a new dress out of the armoire.

"I don't care what you do with them," she said to the entities, her voice shrill, as she opened the door, "But I don't want to see them again!"

She ran down the steps, pausing to think of where the Beast would be. A gentle tug from the small pages led her towards the library. Her quick steps now slow, she followed them warily, suddenly worried as to the Beast's temper.

--

The Beast stood slowly when he heard Kallia's footsteps enter the library. He noted that she had changed her clothes and that a salve had been applied to her scratched arms. She walked with a cautious step, her eyes large, filled with worry. He was not surprised to see the emotion, but he was surprised when he found it directed at himself.

"Are you alright?" she asked, before he could ask her the same thing. Her eyes fixed themselves on him, and he was shocked to see the depth of feeling in them.

"I'll be fine," he said, putting it in the future because he would be fine in a few days, he just was not at the moment.

"But not now," she said, catching the tense of his statement. Her brow furrowed a little, and she looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

The Beast sighed. "Little Beauty," he said, "It was not your fault. Sit down, so I can sit as well." His side was beginning to hurt, and he did not want to be injured any longer than he had to. Kallia, smiling slightly at his comment, sat in the armchair across from his, relaxing in the fire's warmth.

"You could not have known that the mountain lion was there or that it would attack," the Beast began, not waiting for her to apologize again. _If anything, _he thought,_ that would be my fault. I have the senses of an animal; I should be able to use them!_

"But I -"

"Being in the garden is not a crime," the Beast cut in, shaking his head. "Admit it, I will win this one. Let's move on. I'm not angry at you." She opened her mouth, then closed it. He hoped that this meant that she had accepted that it was not her fault.

"Why did you call me little Beauty?" she asked after a minute. The Beast kicked himself mentally. He had moved on from calling her "little mouse" to "little Beauty" in his mind. He had not meant to call her that out loud, but he had slipped.

"'Kallia' is the feminine form of the adjective 'kallios', Greek for 'beauty'," he answered. "As for the 'little', well, you are shorter than me." He almost laughed at the indignation on her face.

And then he did.

His shock must have mirrored her own, because she started laughing and pointed at him, announcing that his face was priceless. Shaking his head, still laughing some, he countered, saying that her first face was still the best.


	3. Chapter 3

Kallia smiled as she looked into the fire. A silence had descended when they finished laughing, but it was a pleasant silence. It was the silence between friends, and maybe that of between better-than-friends, that descends after a good story or joke has been told. It is the silence that falls when one is simply happy to be where one is, content in the presence of a close friend. And thus, she did not feel the need to break it as she had so many times in the past, when a heavy silence; an unfriendly silence had descended upon them.

But, inevitably, with her mind and heart buzzing with questions, she broke the silence again.

"You said my name came from Greek," she asked, "So does that mean you know Greek?"

The Beast smiled ruefully, "Oh yes. It has been branded in my memory by many a well meaning tutor. Why?"

"Well… I was taught Latin, because apparently every young lady of well off means should learn Latin," Kallia said, reciting the reason her governess had given her, "But I always wanted to learn Greek."

The Beast chuckled, "You are a constant surprise, little Beauty. I take it you still want to learn?"

She nodded carefully, wondering if he would loose his good spirits since books would be involved. She also was still unsure of his new nickname for her. She did not like the "little" part of it, but the fact that he called her "Beauty" made her heart beat faster, just for a moment.

The Beast sighed, his shoulders slumping some.

"I would love nothing more than to teach you," he began, "But I am not exactly well suited to writing, or to turning pages in books." He held up a paw, displaying the claws at their tips. They were blunt and heavy, and not retractable claws, as those of a cat's are.

"Is that why you always became sad when I mentioned the library?" Kallia asked.

"Yes," he whispered. "I used to love coming in here. It protected me by removing me from the outside world, from reality. But after I ruined a few books, I couldn't bear to bring myself back in here."

"But you came here today," Kallia said softly when he paused.

"I wanted to forget again," he confessed. "And this was the best place to forget in."

"Did it work?" she asked impishly, smiling.

Smiling ruefully, the Beast shook his head. "Somewhat. But anyways, I don't know how well I will be able to teach you."

"I'll turn the pages!" Kallia said quickly, "And you can just tell me how to correct my work." The Beast raised his eyebrows in approval.

"Very well, go get the deep blue book on the four shelf of the third bookcase from the left. It should say something like 'Beginner's Greek'." Kallia grinned and ran over to the bookshelf.

_Is it just me, or is she seizing on this a bit too eagerly?_ The Beast wondered to himself, and then answered himself right away.

_Of course she is! She almost was eaten by a mountain lion earlier today._

Kallia had found the book and was walking over with it when a pair of glasses appeared on the table beside him.

"Ah, thank you," he said to the entity that had brought them. He had forgotten that he needed reading glasses, so long had it been.

"You need glasses?" Kallia asked, surprised as he put them on. He raised an eyebrow.

"Only for reading. Why are you laughing?"

"No reason," she giggled, opening the book as she sat beside him. Casting a suspicious eye at the giggling Kallia, he began the lesson.

--

Kallia read over her translation, trying to find any mistakes she might have made. She knew there was a big problem with the seventh to tenth lines of the poem; she could not figure out where all the various adjectives went or what all the cases were doing. But the rest of the ten lines she had read for today she scanned intently.

The Beast was a hard teacher, though fair. After explaining that Greek had more grammatical parts to it than Latin, he had told her that the only way to get through it was by rote.

"I already tried every other way," he had said ruefully, "And it only wastes time."

So the months had passed with her writing and rewriting the alphabet until he was satisfied that her letters were perfect, and then with the constant recitations and writing of the declensions of nouns and adjectives and conjugations of verbs. She was now reading basic poetry, but it had taken a lot of work to get there; more work than she had spent on learning Latin.

Kallia had enjoyed it though, and for more reasons than simply fulfilling one of her lifelong desires. The more time she spent with the Beast, the less she wanted to be on her own.

Her head jerked up from her reading as the thought hit her. She _enjoyed_ being with the Beast, far more than she ever would have thought. He made her laugh, and he clearly enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed his. Well, most of the time. Every now and then she caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. She did not know where it came from or what caused it, but she always tried to distract him when she saw it.

But most of all, she felt safe with the Beast. After the mountain had attacked her, she was reluctant to venture outside. The Beast had offered to join her when she went out, and she had accepted his offer readily. However, she also felt safe when they were just in the castle, as if no one could ever do anything to shatter their happiness.

_I wonder if this is what Mother meant when she told me of love…_ Kallia thought, distracted. She looked out the window, her thoughts drifting over the past few months.

--

_"Why do you keep laughing when I put on my glasses?" the Beast asked, exasperated._

_"I'm not laughing!" Kallia protested, and then promptly burst out in laughter at his disgusted face._

_"Then illuminate me on the hilarity of my actions," he said, sarcasm oozing off his words._

_Giggling, Kallia answered, "You just look like an old scholar who's going to yell at me for being loud." Snarling in disgust, the Beast threw a cushion at her._

_"I am not old," he said pointedly, causing Kallia to burst out in giggles again. "Now if you are finished?"_

_--_

_They were walking together in the gardens, and silence hung between them. Kallia's hand was tucked in the crook of the Beast's elbow, and she looked around as they walked. The summer breeze brought the scent of rose blossoms to them, and the Beast smiled. She heard him breathe deeply, taking in the scent, and smiled broadly._

_--_

_"Kallia, what is it?" the Beast asked, surprised, when she walked into the library late at night._

_"I couldn't sleep," she said, pausing. "Will … you read to me?" She had discovered earlier that week that the Beast had a brilliant voice for reading, and after her nightmare (which she was not going to mention), she just wanted someone to read to her._

_"Of course," the Beast said, surprised. "Pick out your book." She grabbed the book that always comforted her and went to the couch, where the Beast had moved to. Opening the book to the first page, she leaned against the Beast, balancing the book between them._

_"Tell me, Muse, about the wily man who wandered/ long and far after he sacked the sacred citadel of Troy…" The Beast continued reading until Kallia no longer turned the page for him. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep. Smiling softly, he took off his glasses and gingerly placed the book on the end table. He then carried her to her room, and looking back from the door, he said,_

_"Pleasant dreams, little Beauty."_

_--_

Indeed, there was something more than simple friendship, or even affection. But what would come of it? No matter how human he was, the Beast was still a beast.

--

The Beast was in a bad mood.

He stormed around his rooms, trying to be quiet, as the memories kept surfacing in his mind.

--

_Gollan glared at him from across the Great Hall. He ignored the man, who was his senior by a year, and concentrated on what was being said._

_"The laws state that the prince, upon his appointment as a mage of the kingdom, will no longer be eligible for inheriting the throne. Do you understand this?"_

_"Yes," he replied. Of course he understood; he had been asked this when he went to the university, when he had completed his first year. He had been waiting for this moment for years. He did not want to be a prince, and a second son at that. He wanted to be a mage, a great mage._

_"Then rise and done the robes of magic. I deem you prince no longer, but Magus." When he stood, it was not without a feeling of triumph. The look on Gollan's face, whom he had graduated before and with better marks, was priceless._

_--_

_His father smiled when the news was brought to him. The threat from Gaeni, the neighbouring kingdom, was gone, and he had helped bring it about. In fact, he had been instrumental in bringing it about. And he acknowledged that with a great deal of pride._

_"I had thought it a mistake," he began. "Letting you go off to the Magus University. But now I see that I was wrong. You, my son, have become one of our top Magi. I'm proud of you, my boy."_

_The warmth, the pride that had followed his father's statement had blinded him to all else. And this was not the first time his father had beamed on his youngest son; no, there had been many more occasions before. After so many years of being hidden in his brother's shadow, it felt good to be the one being shone on._

_Though the two men in the shadows whom he passed by did not seem to agree, if one judged by their expressions._

_--_

"_Caeluum, what in the world are you talking about?" he asked, exasperated at his brother's paranoid mind._

_"You know exactly what I mean. You went to school so you could get an edge, no? You knew that you cannot beat me with sword or through popularity, so you went for the magic." Caeluum's eyes flashed in anger and distrust. His malevolent aura filled the library, tainting its sacred space._

_"I. Don't. Want. To. Be. King." He said through clenched teeth. "I just want to go to my little estate on the edge of the kingdom and sit in my library and read. I have no desire to usurp you place; if I was meant to be king, I would have been born first."_

_"Of course," Caeluum snarled, turning on his heel and leaving. He stared at his brother's departing figure, suddenly scared. He had to get away from the palace._

_--_

_He sat in the library, in his library, and tried to immerse himself in a grimmoire. It was not working. His brother's accusations kept coming to the forefront, and they irritated him._

_"Who is he to think that I would ever want to be him?" he snarled to the empty room. "Doesn't he understand? After all those years of being taunted and of being pushed around, why would he think that I would want to return to that world? I'm important in mine, why would I go to his, where I am no one, a mere second son?" The answer came to him slowly, as he tried to forget the world._

_Caeluum was afraid. He had always been the important one, the one to whom everyone looked. But now, things were changing._

_And just as the thought occurred, he felt something. Someone was in his castle. Standing, he walked out of the library, calling out,_

_"Who is there?"_

_--_

The Beast had calmed down by the time he was to meet with Kallia, but his mind was not completely there. Neither was hers.

"It's simple," he said snarkily, "This is an accusative. So are these three words, and they're all singular. The verb doesn't take a double accusative, and there is no preposition, so they must go together."

"But it doesn't make sense!" she protested, for the hundredth time she felt, and rubbed her forehead.

"It will if you just think about it," the Beast muttered. Kallia set her face and closed her book, gently, before setting it down. She then stood and glared at the Beast.

"You think about it," she hissed and stomped out of the room. The Beast took off his glasses before he was tempted to crush them and left as well.

--

In the very topmost room of the castle there is an attic that no one knows about, except the Beast. It is so far removed from the main rooms that no one can hear his enraged roaring and tearing of furniture.

But when all was said and done, and his fit had left him, the Beast slunk to the floor, sitting on his haunches. He did not even get up when it was dinner time, not trusting himself to be in anyone's company, even the invisible entities.

For no matter that he was once human, he was now a beast.


	4. Chapter 4

Agatha stood on the top most balcony of the palace, looking towards the grey north. It had been almost a year since she had been separated from her sister and married the prince of her land. Not that she was complaining of the later; Prince Luccan was a kind and sensitive man, a far cry from his great-grandfather, the king. She missed her sister terribly though; she and Kallia had been very close since their mother's death and their father's withdrawal. They were separated by five years, and she had practically raised her sister with their maid's help.

"You'll catch your death up here from the cold," a pleasant voice said from behind her, the owner draping a thick woolen cloak over her shoulders.

"She went that way," Agatha replied, leaning into her husband's arms. He wrapped his arms around her, sighing.

"I know, and I've asked Grandfather about her. He just sputters and yells at me for thinking him senile. Then Gollan shoos me out, saying '_You must not disturb the king with such matters.'"_ Agatha smiled as he imitated the old magus' quivery voice.

"Luc," she whispered, "Do you think I'll ever see her again?" Smiling, he rested his head on top of hers, answering just as softly as she had spoken,

"Yes, I think you will."

--

The Beast stood, bracing himself on the stone barrister, as he looked south, towards the capitol, towards the palace. It had been a few days since he and Kallia had fought, and he had tried to stay away from her, not trusting his temper. He had been successful, but he did not think on the success without sadness. He felt the loss of her company even more acutely than when he had first been turned into a beast. Nevertheless, he had stayed away, not trusting his bestial nature.

A quick half scolding, half admonishment from the head of the entities broke him out of his gloomy thoughts, and he straightened, turning slightly. Kallia stood in the doorway, looking a little uncomfortable, a little sheepish.

"I know you said not to come up here," she said before he could say anything, "But they pulled me up the stairs, so I decided to follow." He cast a look towards the left, where he could sense the entities hovering.

"It's okay," he said softly. "There was really no reason for you to not be able to come up here."

"But it's your space," Kallia replied. "And we all need our own space, so it's okay." There was an uncomfortable silence, until a mental shove from the entities had them both glaring at the presences.

"Do you mind?" The Beast asked pointedly. An equally pointed reply was sent back, and he sighed. He turned back to the view form the balcony, his shoulders slumped.

"Kallia, I… I want to apologise. I should not have been so short with you. I was not having a good day, and I failed to do anything about it. I should have known I would loose my temper, but well… I am sorry."

_Why is it so hard to admit I was wrong?_ He wondered. _I never had to do it before, except in school, and then it was easy because I knew it only helped my learning. But this, this is different…_

Kallia's placing of her hand on his surprised him. She smiled up at him, saying,

"I too should apologise. Walking out was the wrong thing to do, and then I just sat in my room and stewed. And that always makes things worse; it always has."

The Beast smiled, relieved. "Even then?"

Kallia nodded, her eyes bright. A bubbling happiness rose from the entities, and Kallia looked to where they were.

"Do you know what they are saying?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, they speak through thoughts. Why?"

"Because every now and then I feel this buzzing in my mind, and it's always when they are near. Is it them?"

The Beast raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never would have thought that Kallia would have the ability to sense the projected thoughts of others.

"Yes, it is. If you want to hear them properly, you will have to open your mind to them. Once you can do that, you should be able to hear them with no problems."

Kallia furrowed her brow, confused. "How does one open their mind?"

The Beast opened his mouth, but shut it before "By lowering your barriers" came out. Instead, he thought for a moment, then said instead,

"Do you know what a mental barrier is?" Kallia shook her head. The Beast paused, wondering how to phrase the explanation so it would not contain magical terms.

"It is a wall between thoughts; we all have a natural barrier. Those who have the ability to project their thoughts to others are able to work past their mental barrier. They can also receive the thoughts of others, but some people can only receive thoughts. Those who project thoughts need to supplement their natural barrier, as theirs is usually weak. Those who receive thoughts need to open their mental barrier so that they can hear the thoughts being sent. Do you understand?"

Kallia looked out across to the garden, sorting what he had just said.

"I think so; I can receive thoughts, so I need to open this wall to hear them?"

"Yes."

"So how do I open my mind?"

The Beast winced. "I cannot explain it very well; it is different for everyone. I was told to relax and let the thoughts come, but I was never able to relax enough. And now, I do not even know how I open my mind because it is second nature to me."

Kallia frowned, her face pensive. "So this is one of those things like doing you hair; you have to find out what works best for you."

The Beast was completely confused by her analogy. "I suppose so," he said hesitantly, and Kallia laughed.

"Come, let's go for a walk," she giggled. Smiling, the Beast only shook his head and followed her out as she chattered to him about the newly fallen snow.

--

Kallia sat in her room that night, her heart happy once more. She smiled, washing and changing before bed. It was when she started to brush her hair that she remembered what the Beast had said about the entities and her ability to hear them. She set her brush down, thinking on how to lower her mental barriers. She tried to relax, but her excitement would overrun or she'd have an itch and her concentration would be broken. Soon she was knitting her brows in frustration.

"I don't think relaxing is going to work for me either," she whispered to the entities hovering nearby. She felt a vague feeling of disappointment and ambivalence. If the entities were visible, she would have seen most of them shrugging. It takes time, they tried to tell her. Everything with magic takes time to learn; even Kallia knew that. It was why so few who entered the Magi School came out, and why most people with a little magical talent did not become anything.

Still, sometimes things need to move at a faster pace than what they have been. At least, that's what Kallia thought.

--

The king's chamber's included an elegantly decorated study, lined with bookshelves and warmed by a large fireplace. The fire's light gave off a warm glow, and the oil lamps flanking the desk and the reading chair added to the inviting ambiance.

Two kings ago, it had been a welcoming place for the most part. It was where the king would meet his closest advisors and friends. If you were permitted to enter this small room, you were included in a very select few indeed. But almost a century ago, when King Caeluum ascended to the throne, the room saw a great deal less of the friendly after dinner discussions that it once had. Instead, it held the secret meetings between the king and his head mage, Gollan. When Caeluum had outlived his son, and his grandson was growing old, the meetings had become even more secretive and urgent.

Caeluum was old, older than he should have been. Gollan was as well, but as a mage, he could explain it away with his daily use of magic. At first they had explained it as the king's superior health. But when his grandson died, a new explanation was needed. The missing mage prince became the new solution; his daily use of magic had leaked through his blood tie to his brother. It had never been heard of before, but then the mage prince was extremely powerful, so it was possible.

It took Gollan several years after the death of Caeluum's grandson to find the answer, and it had made both of them furious. A series of finger pointing and vehement accusations had followed it for weeks before they agreed that the blame was equal and were able to sit down to find a solution.

The answer to their unusual longevity, which did not include a longer period of youthfulness, was the spell that they had placed on the mage prince, the spell which had turned him into a beast. As long as he lived, they would continue to grow older and older, more decrepit with each half decade until they were nothing but living human raisins, composed of skin and bones with a few blood vessels. Neither was particularly happy with that fate. The Beast would have to go. While it would mean that they would die sooner, it also meant that they would die looking like human beings and with a great deal of respect. Caeluum's reign was one of unprecedented peace. His vanity and ego dictated that his reputation remain the same or escalate after he died. Thus the two had laid plans, one of which had sent Kallia on her way to the Beast's castle just over one year ago.

Caeluum looked up as the door creaked. It was Gollan.

"Well?" he snarled, and the mage shrugged.

"It's too soon to when the girl went out," he said as an explanation.

"Surely it has been a year by now!" Caeluum hissed.

"But we do not know when he may have died," Gollan said sharply. "One more month, and then I'll know if he is dead or not. Did you consider that he might not have taken the bait?"

"Oh yes," Caeluum said, nodding. "There is a crack team ready should the wards still be up in a month. He cannot stop them."


	5. Chapter 5

For every tale, there is magic involved. Whether real or unreal, visible or invisible, inherent or only barely there, magic is involved. The Beast became a beast through a magic spell; his brother and Gollan undying by the same spell.

But they were not the only ones affected by magic, tied to the castle in the kingdom's outer province. There is a story about this castle, told in whispers on winter nights, when the moon hides behind the clouds. It goes like this…

_Long ago, when the Kakinids ruled over the kingdom, a terrible thing happened in the castle. The king at the time, Jonathon, was a mere child, whose mother, the Queen Heleni, ruled for with the aide of the chief of staff. The queen and the chief of staff had an affair and plotted to remove the boy from the throne. They enacted their plan when he was thirteen and managed to depose him. Jonathon, however, was saved by his steward, who secreted him from the palace to a castle outside of the kingdom, in the independent duchy of Eunomi. _

_The king lived there in exile, his identity unknown. The steward, whose brother was steward to the duke, cared for the boy as his own son. The king then married the daughter of the duke when he was sixteen, three years after his flight._

_By then, however, the Queen Heleni and her consort had discovered where he had fled to. They bought the services of a powerful mage and paid him to kill the exiled king. The mage was good, but the two conspirators did not think of the possibility that the old king would have protected his son. The old king had been a mage, and a powerful one at that._

_The hired mage attacked the castle, aiming his death spell at Jonathon. It rebounded, the protective spell unraveled and a magical backlash enveloped the castle, destroying everything except the building's framework on the first floor. The duke was killed, as was the mage. The king and his wife were injured, and he was disfigured. _

_Two things were missing when the magic cleared: the body of servants, including the two stewards, and the mind of the king. Leaving his wife behind in the care of the village people, he rode towards the city he had fled three years before. On his way there, soldiers, unhappy with the rule of his mother and her consort, joined him. When he arrived at the palace, there were more men behind him than who served his mother. They stormed the castle, killing all who were loyal to the usurper queen, servants and soldiers, courtiers and city dwellers alike. The mad king, after cruelly executing his mother and her consort himself, then moved his capitol to the duchy, which was now his through his marriage to the late duke's daughter._

_The girl was pregnant, and the town healers had managed to save the child, who was born after a normal term of pregnancy. While the birth of an heir gave the kingdom a cause to celebrate, which it needed after the brutal executions of the usurpers, the celebrations did not last long._

_The king soon showed himself to be just as bad, if not worse, than his mother had been. While the late queen had been temperamental and capricious, the king was simply mad. One could be executed five minutes after being praised. The army, who had returned him to power, soon grew tired and killed him. They then put the three month old son on the throne, and their general planned to rule from behind the throne._

_But the queen would have none of it. She claimed her son back and told the general to become king in his own right._

"_He will rule my father's duchy," she said bravely. "You can rule his father's kingdom. Or do you want the same turn of events to happen again?"_

_The general decided that she spoke the truth, and after she abdicated both for herself and for her son, he took over the throne. The capitol was returned to the city of Polteia, and the castle in the small duchy was restored. Three generations later, Eunomi entered the kingdom centered on Polteia when the daughter of the last duke married the crown prince. Ever since then, the castle in the old duchy, the outer province, has been the home of second sons. And ever since then, the servants have waited._

--

_Bad, bad, bad… men… _

_Where?_

_Bad… bad… guns…_

_When?_

_Soon…_

_Must tell… But how? Wall is thick… He can't know…_

_There are rules… Madness… it comes…_

_…can't know…_

_She calls! _

_… what did she say?_

_Time is coming… will have to be heard. But how? Wall is thick, too thick. Will not listen, cannot listen…_

_Will listen, wait. Will listen, has to listen. Loves him… loves land. What more must come? Wait and see, will happen…_

_Hope so… hope so… _

_Will pick flowers again? Play ball? _

_Will spin? Will cook?_

_Ride, feed horses? Run dogs? _

_--_

The castle's courtyard was densely covered in snow, and everything lay in silence, muffled. Kallia could not sit still. The snow beckoned to be run through, its white perfection practically begged to be destroyed. Dusk quietly approached, and the sun's last rays began to shimmer on the snow's crisp surface.

"I am not going to repeat myself a third time," an amused voice said, breaking through her thoughts. "What is so engrossing?"

Kallia blushed. "The snow! It's perfect for a snowball fight, or for running through! And the day is almost over; this can wait, can't it?"

The Beast laughed, "Fine, fine! You can finish translating after dinner."

Kallia jumped up, shutting the book and setting it on the couch in one motion.

"Do come out," she begged, her eyes twinkling. "It will be so much fun!"

The Beast stood up, looking out the window. How long had it been since he had thrown a snowball? Had he ever?

"I'll meet you out there," he smiled, "Though you'll have to take pity on my clumsy paws."

"Only if you promise now to dump a snow bank on me!" Kallia laughed as she ran to get her cloak. The Beast just shook his head, chuckling.

His ability to laugh easily still surprised him. He had never laughed often, and when he did, it was rarely a good natured laugh, one that showed inner enjoyment. There had been only one friend he had laughed with, and he suspected that friend was now gone. How long had he been a beast?

He made his way leisurely to the front door, only remembering to take off his glasses when the tapestry by the door appeared blurry to him. Setting them on the table, he suddenly froze. The Beast then dropped them onto the table and dashed to the door.

Someone was within the gate.

--

Kallia stood still, her breath forming a small cloud in the cold air. She looked around, her eyes wide with fear. A score of soldiers faced her, forming a semi circle around the castle's door. The commander stood in the front, directly in front of her.

"Come with us," he ordered. "You will not be harmed, you have my oath."

She backed up a small step, and one soldier raised his gun.

"You either die or come with us," the commander said monotonically. "There is no other choice."

Kallia stood stock still, until the commander took a step forward when his short patience was exhausted. As he reached out for her arm, she turned to run. A shot rang through the air; it would have hit her had she not been pulled behind the Beast.

"Kallia," he said softly, "Go inside and bar the door."

"But how-"

"I will get in," he said, cutting her off. "Go." She looked up at him, but he was watching the soldiers, who all watched him warily. Had she been able to see his front, she would have seen the blood that ran from a bullet wound on his arm. The height was comparable to the back of her neck.

"Go!" he hissed, and she ran inside, barring the door behind her, as he had asked. She then backed up until she bumped into a small table. A clattering made her look down at it, and she saw his glasses. Picking them up, she went to the kitchen, where she sat by the warmth of the stove, protected by the whole front of the castle and with an escape route possible. She held the glasses in her hands, rubbing her fingers absently over the wire frames. The entities hovered near her, and she took comfort in their silent presence.

--

The Beast stared at the men in front of him.

"The king sent you, I suppose?" he asked softly, sardonically.

"His Majesty has determined that you are a threat to the health of the kingdom," the commander answered. "An animal such as you has no right to live amongst humans such as us."

"Will you tell me who is king?"

"You have no need to know, and there is no need to sully His Majesty's name by allowing _you _to speak it."

The Beast nodded his head, as if in submission, only to shoot forward in attack. Two men, one of who was the commander, were killed by the sheer force of his attack before the others could even react. Three more were injured, two by his swiping claws and a third mortally by a bite to his side, as the remainder fired. Two bullets hit him; one in his arm and two to his torso. The Beast merely grunted, his rage consuming his mind.

Those near him fought with the bayonets tipping their rifles. They stabbed and slashed, and those who extended the guns too far had them snapped by the Beast's paws. Two more were killed, three injured and another three were injured severely. Another two bullets hit the Beast, and one which was meant for him hit one of the soldiers.

Soon the bullets and stab wounds began to get to the Beast. His speed slowed, and his reflexes were dulled. The soldiers sensed this and pressed forward, only to be hurled back as the Beast barreled through to the wall of the castle. He flung himself onto the stone wall and began to painfully haul himself up. The soldiers whose guns were still intact aimed and fired.

The bullets, however, never hit the Beast. They were absorbed by the magical shield which protected the castle. The shield had been in place for centuries, but only one man in the past hundred years had known about it, and he had never told anyone. The Beast thus continued his agonizing climb, despite the bullets which were shot at him. They stopped, however, when the lieutenant called a halt, remarking,

"He'll be dead soon enough."

--

Kallia could hear the bullets, and she cringed every time she heard the firing. Her fingers turned the glasses over and over in her hands, a charm of sorts to keep the Beast safe. Some of the entities had left, but the rest hovered protectively around her.

She then heard a crash coming from the third floor, from the area where the Beast's rooms were. The entities disappeared suddenly, and she knew that it had to be the Beast. She darted up and ran towards the stairs, dashing towards the room on the third floor which overlooked the castle courtyard.

The glasses, forgotten, had fallen and lay on the kitchen floor, the lenses shattered.

--

The soldiers were looking for a way into the castle. All the doors had been barred, and none of the windows on the first floor were shattering. They had given up on trying to break one and were now looking for a piece of wood they could use as a battering ram, or a piece of metal they could pry a door open with.

--

When Kallia reached the Beast's room, she found him lying on the floor, his clothes stained with blood. A strangled cry escaped from her lips, and she rushed forward to him. She knelt beside him and went to embrace him, stopping just before she touched him as he gave off a moan of pain.

"Beast?" she whispered, tears beginning to flow down her face.

"Kallia," he said as he rolled over a bit, "Leave. Get out of here now, before the wards fall. You'll be safe; the soldiers will not be able to get to you. It is me they want."

"No," she said adamantly, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you!"

"Go," he hissed. "I'm dying; as soon as I go, the wards fall. The magic leaves, and they will get into the castle. Leave now, while the magic still has a chance to attach itself to you and hide you from them. I... I can't protect you anymore." He coughed weakly, and a few drops of blood fell from his mouth. Kallia was crying, still shaking her head.

"I can't leave you," she sobbed. "I won't, not for anything, even if it means I will die."

"Why?" the Beast asked, confusion surfacing from the pain on his face. Kallia fell forward, gently laying her face on his shoulder.

"I've lost two people whom I love," she whispered, "I'm not loosing a third. If you die here, I will go with you."

Bright light suddenly filled the room, and she was pushed away from him by a blast of magic. As soon as her eyes could see again, she pushed herself back to where the Beast had laid.

Only now there was a man there, dressed in the Beast's clothes and with hair the same colour as the Beast's fur. Blood seeped from his wounds, some of which bore partially healed scars from where the huge gashes had shrunken to fit the smaller body.

Furious thoughts pummeled their way into Kallia's stunned mind, none of which were hers.

_Cover, hurry!_

_Say he's dead!_

_Say he's dead!_

_We will care!_

_SAY HE IS DEAD!_

She took the white sheet hanging before her and covered the man with it. Just as she concealed his face, the soldiers barged into the room.

They grabbed her, and she screamed, fighting their grasp, and cursing them.

"You killed him, you killed him you bastards! What did he ever do to you?"

They ignored her, and one lifted his knife above the covered form. Kallia screeched and grabbed for him.

"You've already killed him; you're already going to rot in hell you bastard, why do you need to disfigure him? Bastard, leave him alone, LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Her screams and sobs, accompanied by curses and pleas finally annoyed the lieutenant enough to have him signal the men to exit the room.

"Let him be; we only had to kill him. It is dishonourable to disfigure an animal once dead anyways. Get the girl's belongings, and we will be off."

As they had waited in the courtyard, Kallia softly sobbing as one soldier held onto her arm, two soldiers gathered what they determined to be her personal belongings. They came down with a bag which had two dresses, her hair brush, a pair of boots, and a thick book. When the lieutenant raised an eyebrow, they had shrugged.

"It's a diary," the red haired soldier answered, who was the senior of the two. "And I know my sister hates to be without hers, so I thought it would make the trip back easier. Maybe even quieter." The lieutenant could not fault the logic, so the book stayed.

"Where's the crystal ball the mage gave us?" he asked a soldier who held two horses. The man fished in one of the saddle bags and pulled it out. The lieutenant took it, breathed on it, and called out,

"High Mage Gollan?"

"Yes?" a quivery voice answered.

"This is Lieutenant Andrs speaking, sir. The mission has been completed and is a success. The creature is dead, and we are returning now with the girl. Seven men are dead, including Captain Gorgan, and twelve are injured."

"Very well, I shall inform the king. He will be extremely pleased, Lieutenant. Safe journey."

The crystal ball went cloudy, and the lieutenant nodded at his men. They all mounted their horses, and Kallia was set on one whose reins were tied to the red haired soldier's saddle. Her hands were also tied and the rope was then tied to the saddle horn, so she would not try to escape. Her sorrow, however, was too consuming for her to even consider the idea.

_Oh Beast…_she thought to herself, _What did I do?_

----------

A/N: Okay guys, sorry these last few chapters have been so long coming. I'm in study abroad in Greece (I know, bad excuse…) and well, the creative juices have been pushed aside for all the awesome sight taking in-ness.

I also apologize if I haven't answered your review. I really, really appreciate them, and please keep reviewing. It makes my day when I find the notices in my inbox. Thank you everyone who has reviewed; thank you very much.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed. I really really appreciate it and all the story alerts and faves.

Agatha dashed down the palace's steps into the inner courtyard

Agatha dashed down the palace's steps into the inner courtyard. She lightly grasped the barrister with one hand; the other rested protectively on her stomach. Her mouth was set in a concerned line, excitement and worry fighting to gain dominance on her rosy face.

Luccan had sent a message to her, saying that her sister had arrived and to come quickly. The page who had delivered the message had said that Kallia did not look good, and Agatha wanted to get to her sister before either the king or Gollan did.

When she arrived in the courtyard, Luccan and the ranking officer of the group were conducting a staring contest. Agatha looked around, only momentarily, before seeing Kallia. Crying out, she ran to her sister, who had looked up upon hearing her voice.

Agatha enveloped her sister in her arms, and Kallia clung to her, softly crying. Kallia's face was blotchy and her eyes bloodshot from crying, and her hair was a mess. Agatha whispered soothing words, rubbing her sister's back. She then turned to look at Luccan, who appeared relieved, and the annoyed soldier.

"She's coming with me," Agatha stated. "She needs a bath, a hot meal, and female company. Have her bag sent up, now."

"Highness, the king-" the lieutenant began, and Luccan cut him off.

"Let her have her way," he said sharply. "The healers have insisted that no one upset her until the child is born. And the king will not want to try and question an exhausted, weeping girl."

The lieutenant twisted his mouth in protest, but remained silent. Agatha did not wait any longer, but took Kallia inside and led her up to her own rooms, safe from the king and the high mage.

Kallia did not speak as Agatha and her maids whisked her through a bath and a hot meal. She was then put to bed in the room beside Agatha's, safe from the questions of the king. When Kallia was asleep, Agatha returned to her sitting room, where she collapsed on one of the overstuffed couches. Leaning forward, she rested her head on her hands, wondering what had happened.

A soft knock made her look up. She heard the whispered exchange between her maid and the knocker, and then the girl stepped into the room.

"His Highness is here," she said, bobbing a curtsey. Agatha nodded, and Luccan was let in. He nodded at the maid, who left, and sat beside his wife.

"What happened?" Agatha whispered. "She wouldn't speak; she barely looked at me." Luccan pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I do not know exactly. Grandfather sent a troop to that old castle in Eunomi; apparently there was a beast there. He would not say why she was sent there in the first place, only that he had not known about the beast." Agatha snorted softly, and Luccan smiled wanly.

"I know. Anyways, apparently the beast protected her when she refused to go with the soldiers. I had to drag this out of Andrs; that's why he was glaring at me. Then, when they broke into the castle, she screamed and fought them. Apparently she had covered the dead beast with a sheet."

"Luc," Agatha began, "Do you think she was bait for this beast?" He sighed and held her tighter.

"I hope not," he whispered harshly. "I do not doubt it though. Apparently this beast could talk, and Grandfather seemed to think him a threat. But whatever threat he was, Grandfather had no right to send her to the beast as bait."

Kallia woke up several times that night, only to silently cry herself back to sleep. How could the entities care for the Beast (she still called him this, for lack of his name) when he was in such bad condition? He had been dying; returning to his human form would not help that.

The next few days were a blur. The king and the high mage questioned her several times, and each time she would burst into tears when they asked, numerous times and in numerous ways, whether or not the Beast was dead. But no matter how out of it she was feeling, she always remembered to say that he was dead. Soon she began to wonder if it was the truth.

It took her a week before she could open the book that had somehow found its way into her things. It was a large book with leather covers and bindings. It was also old, from the look of the yellowed pages.

She was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed, when she decided to open the book. It was late, and she could not sleep. Steeling herself, she set the book in front of her and opened the cover.

The first page was blank. A little disappointed, she turned it and saw jumbled writing. Biting her lip, she began to decipher the writing.

_I am the mage prince, second son of the king Cael III. I was put under a spell by my brother, Caeluum, and the mage Gollan. I am now a beast, one who can barely speak. I am no longer Jonnathon._

_It has been two, three months since I was turned into a beast. It has taken me that long to learn to form words with this mouth. I am still having troubles. I cannot hold a pen with my han- no, with my paws, so I am using this book to record what happened. It records my voice on paper._

_There are spirits here, who are bound to the castle. I do not know why, nor do I think that I will ever. They cannot tell, and I cannot ask. Likewise, they do not ask how I will be free. Either they already know or they cannot ask. They saw what happened to me, that I am sure of._

_The hardest thing-_

Here there was a smudge of ink and some garbled letters which did not form any word Kallia knew of. She stared at the mess, realising that it was a cry or a sob of some sort. She paused in her reading, not wanting to know what it was that was so dear to the Beast, no, to Jonnathon that would warrant such a reaction.

_The hardest thing ………is that I can no longer use my magic. That I can feel it, sense it but I cannot use it or even take comfort in it. I can no longer hold my books in my hands, not without ruining them. What will I do now? What did I ever do to Caeluum to warrant him taking the only two pleasures in my life? I did not want the throne! I only ever wanted to be a great mage, one who would be remembered! Was that too much to ask for, to be remembered? I am not content fading into history as a forgotten second son! And for that he thinks that he has the right to do this to me?_

Kallia was crying, and she shoved the book away from her. The words inked on the page became more and more pronounced, and she could almost feel the anguish and anger rising from the pages. After a few minutes, she steadied herself and looked at the book again. There was not much left to the first entry, so she decided to finish it before shutting the book and hiding it.

_He will not win, I SWEAR this. I will not let him degrade me, turn me into an animal and steal my humanity. I WILL NOT DIE WITHOUT MY HUMANITY CAELUUM, DO YOU HEAR ME!_

Kallia lay in bed awake for a while after she had stowed the book at the bottom of her bookshelf. Many questions were answered, but many more were rising.It seemed forever before she fell asleep, but it was only an hour after she had stopped reading.

Kallia continued to read the diary, entry by entry, each night. Sometimes they were short; sometimes she was up half the night reading them. The writing grew progressively better as Jonnathon grew better at speaking with his beast's mouth. It was something he was bitterly proud of.

_Listen, Caeluum, if you can. I can speak again. Are you not proud? You always said that speaking well was a skill every man should have, you bastard._

As the entries went on, they grew less bitter and more somber. They were more reflective and were spaced out more. Kallia sensed tiredness and despair from his entries; defiance was all good and all the first few years, but when a decade has passed, loneliness begins to override it.

_I do not know how much time has passed. I think enough time has gone by for Caeluum to have died. But that brings me no comfort. I am not aging; will I remain as a beast for the rest of eternity?_

_The spell Gollan laid on me is one I know well; we are all warned about it in school. It is a spell visited upon those who are extremely pompous, haughty and arrogant. It is a spell used to punish those who are cruel out of their arrogance and power. It is not a spell used upon unwanted younger brothers who have risen above the status of 'second son in the corner'._

_What were those two thinking? I think that the spell has backfired; it is not supposed to have stopped my aging. Slow it, yes, but not stop it. Will I even be able to break the spell? The cure is love, giving freely and honestly. But I know what love is, I have even felt something like it: deep friendship. So how can this save me? The spell is to teach one to be human. But I KNOW how to be human.  
_

_Sometimes I wonder why I have not killed myself. I have thought about it, but I always push the idea away, like one would push away an annoying insect. I always wonder though, would ending my life mean that Caeluum had won or lost? I think that is why I always push the idea away, for the off chance that it would mean that Caeluum would win is more repulsive to me than anything else._

Kallia and Agatha sat together in the sun room, soaking in the warmth of the weak winter sun. Agatha had kept her questions to herself about what had happened, and Kallia had been very glad for that. She asked her sister questions instead, tentatively at first and then about everything.

She learned that their father had been lost at sea not long after Kallia had been sent away. His ship had gone down in a winter storm; everyone had warned him about sailing in the first month of the year, but he had not listened. Agatha had told her the news emotionless, and Kallia had received it the same way. Their father had changed after their mother's death; he became cold and unresponsive to the needs of his young daughters. They had stopped yearning for his love about five years after their mother died; it was all too clear that it would never be coming.

A period of silence rested upon them after Agatha related the news. It was broken by Agatha asking softly,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kallia bit her lip, thinking. She nodded yes, and slowly began to relate her story from the beginning, when the king had met with her and their father.

"He said that I was needed to go to the castle, to appease a discontent duke. He said that the man never came out, but wanted a wife of high standing. He was threatening to leave the kingdom, taking his duchy, which was wealthy, with him. The king told father that if he would send me, then you could marry the prince and father would be resolved of all his debts and given money to start anew."

Agatha hissed, her pretty face creased in a scowl. Kallia smiled weakly at her sister's anger and continued, telling her of the rumours she heard on the ride to the castle.

"Everyone whispered that the castle was ruled by a beast; a terrible beast who ate people who trespassed on his grounds. I did not believe them, I _could _not. But then…"

"It was true," Agatha finished, and Kallia nodded.

"But his eyes, Agatha, his eyes were _human_. He was once human." Agatha sat straight up in surprise, her eyes wide.

"How do you know?" she whispered. Kallia looked around, her eyes wide with fear of listeners. She leaned close to her sister.

"That night, before the soldiers got into the castle, he changed. I do not know how, but the spell was lifted, and he changed back into a human. I… I put a sheet over him, pretended that he was dead. There were servants there, invisible ones, and they told me that they would care for him. But…"

"But what?" Agatha asked when Kallia had been silent for a few moments.

"There was so much blood," Kallia sobbed. "How would they have been able to save him? I just know that he is dead; there was no way they could have saved him." Agatha wrapped her arms around Kallia and rocked her back and forth, smoothing her hair soothingly.

"It will be okay, do not worry," she whispered.

"But Agatha," Kallia cried, "I _loved_ him."

Luccan found Agatha sitting by the window in her room, staring off into space. Her eyes were slightly red, for she had been crying. When he sat beside her, she looked over at him, her face expressionless.

"I hate him Luc," she whispered.

"Who?"

"The king. He sent her as bait. She was supposed to be eaten by the beast; she was supposed to have _been eaten!_" She had leaned forward and grabbed his jacket as she spoke the last words.

"Agatha, hush!" Luccan hissed, suddenly afraid. Her eye flashed, but he cut her off before she had a chance to snap at him.

"Please, please do not let Grandfather or Gollan hear you say that," he pleaded. "They will find a reason to get rid of you, and I will be able to do nothing. Please, do not do that to me." She looked at him, suddenly seeing the fear hidden deep in his eyes.

"What happened?" she whispered. He pulled her close, pressing her head to his chest.

"I overheard them talking about Kallia. They think that she's with holding something." He felt Agatha stiffen in his arms, and he knew that she was keeping something from his grandfather.

_Good_, he thought savagely. _Someone needs to stand up to him, even if I cannot do it._

"They think that I know what it is, and they are afraid. They are very afraid of what she could know. And they have decided that if they do not find out what she is keeping from them, she and I are going to have a fatal accident once you give birth."


	7. Chapter 7

He heard voices, dimly, and opened his eyes. Everything seemed different than he had remembered it last being, but he could not decide why. His mind was like the ocean- was that the phrase?- and he could not stop it from flowing back and forth from the problem at hand, nor could he force his thoughts to rise to the top.

He tried to sit up and found his side constricted. Frowning, he placed his hand on his stomach and felt bandages underneath his thin shirt.

Bandages? What had happened to him?

He tried to rise again, slower this time, and succeeded. He looked around, but could not identify any of his surroundings. A sigh escaped from his mouth and he began to run his hand through his hair when he stopped, looking at his palm in shock.

_Since when did my paws look like this?_

_Wait, paws? _

Suddenly the ocean became turbulent, and memories rose and were dashed down equally by the waves.

And then the fever returned.

--

He called out, but to whom he did not know. Soft voices answered him, and when he screamed, gentle hands held him down.

Once he lashed out and hit one.

He could dimly hear their voices, and worry emanated from them. _This should not have happened,_ they whispered. _He already had a fever; the poison of the infection should have been burned out._

Another whisper answered, aged and knowing, _But one cannot account for magic. It affects us all differently, and is a temperamental mistress._

Magic? Yes, he knew of magic. But it had been so long… Was this revenge for scorning her? But he had not scorned magic, or had he?

As his fever slowly burned down, the ocean returned to his mind. Memories crashed back and forth, out of time, out of order. Yet one face stood out in its malevolence…

Caeluum.

--

Frederick stared at the body of his friend, willing him to wake. Two high fevers had ravaged the Mage Prince and then left him, and Frederick feared that a third would prove to be fatal.

"He will not succumb to a third," a steady, precise voice said behind him. Frederick turned, slowly, and inclined his head to look up at the speaker. The average sized man, with his hairline just beginning to recede, was far older than Frederick. Yet his hair remained brown and his skin did not sag, as Frederick's did.

The man was the steward who had served the old Kakinid king in the castle of the duchy of Eunomia. A spell had kept him, and all the other servants, young, yet invisible. Frederick was only a mage, and not a very powerful one. His magic had prolonged his life long enough to see the return of his old friend, but it had not preserved his youth. No natural magic was supposed to do that; only blood spells and justice spells could.

The protective spell which had enveloped the castle in Eunomia had a justice component to it; unfortunately, the backlash had killed the mage that it was supposed to have attached itself to. The spell, looking for an outlet, centered on the two stewards in the castle. Due to their standing as heads of the staff, the spell then extended itself to include the staff. They were thus kept alive and invisible until another, bound also by a justice spell, freed himself. Their jobs were to serve, thus the spell on them stipulated that they must serve another in such a way that he or she was able to meet the conditions of their own spell.

When Kallia had admitted her love for the Beast and the spell on him was broken, their spell was also broken. The small town near the castle had stories of the invisible servants, and odd things were known to have happened at the old castle. Therefore, when the servants showed up with a severely wounded prince, they had accepted the story of intertwining spells. Those who still had their doubts had them erased when Frederick, aided by his grandson, made his way into the healer's sick room and declared that the prince truly was Prince Jonnathon, the Mage Prince and second son to the deceased King Cael III.

No one ever considered going to the King. There had been suspicion of the "King's city" ever since the duchy had been subject to the inter-fighting of the last generation of Kakinids. It had increased with Caeluum's rule; the kingdom overall had peace and prosperity, but Eunomia was lacking in the latter. The king, for some unknown reason, had forgotten about the small duchy. Now the suspicious villagers had a reason; Caeluum did not want anyone to find out about his actions against _their_ prince.

For Jonnathon now belonged to the duchy. He was obviously descended from the old King, the King Aggenor and father of the mad king Jonathon, not only by blood- for Caeluum was as well- but also by magic. The old king had been a great mage, and his remaining spells had seen fit to protect the Mage Prince in his moment of need, when defending his love from the soldiers.And the spells did not protect him in just any castle, but _their_ castle, the castle where the once independent rulers of Eunomia had reigned.

The town was buzzing with rumors of the Mage Prince, of Kallia, and of what had happened in the castle. Frederick knew that Jonnathon would be both shocked and annoyed by the gossip when he awoke. If he awoke.

"The King protects him," Stievens said after a few moments of silence.

"Aggenor has been dead for ages," Frederick reminded the steward, who frowned ever so slightly.

"You are a mage, and yet you do not understand this? It has to do with the shield spell that was activated when the soldiers were trying to kill him."

"A protective spell can only do so much against a magically wrought fever," Frederick sighed, turning back to look at Jonnathon. "Magic is a cruel, cruel mistress. You must constantly court her, flatter, and bejewel her. I have not worked a spell in ten years; I dare not work one now. Jonnathon is one of the most powerful mages of this time, maybe even since Aggenor. Magic gifted his greatly, how scorned do you think she feels?"

"It was not his fault," a third voice chimed in. It was also slow and precise, though a little deeper and more melancholy than Stievens'.

"Magic does not care. We can only hope that she loves him still." Frederick sighed and stood up. "Will you watch him, Kenton?"

"Of course," the third man said, taking the seat which Frederick had vacated. The other two left the room, and Kenton looked down at Jonnathon, his expression a pensive one.

He had been the steward who stole the mad King away to the duchy of Eunomia, where his brother, Stievens, was steward at the castle. The madness of the king still bore heavily on him, who ad raised the young man.

"Mistress Magic," he whispered, "I know this young man was one of your gifted few, the first since my lord Aggenor. Yet his lack of use of your gift was neither his fault nor intention. I heard his plans; I listened in on his musings. He wanted to do great things, to have both himself and you remembered. He was cut down before he could those deeds.

"I understand your anger, but it is misplaced. The new king is guilty, as is his mage. They should be punished, not the prince. Allow him to waken, and he will once again bring greatness to your name. It is in his nature; this I know."

Kenton did not know if his whispered plea was heard, but he hoped that it was. King Aggenor had spoken to him once of magic.

_She is harsh, but she lusts for greatness. And we whom she has gifted share in that lust. Always remind her of greatness, and she will listen._

He could only hope that the king had been correct. Two lives, two lives which he held dear, were at stake.

--

_Do not shun me again. Do not fail to bring me renown. Now go!_

And he was awake, with clear head.

Then the memories came back.

"Kallia…" he breathed, his eyes wide. He looked around wildly, only to meet the steady eyes of a middle aged, average sized man.

"It is good to see you awake, sire."

--

The castle gossips were buzzing, gleeful disbelief in their whispered conversations. They had always known, they preened, that something was wrong with the young Prince Luccan. He had been too obedient, too subservient to his aging great-grandfather. And now they knew why!

The announcements had gone out earlier that day, beginning in Politeia and then echoing into the rest of the kingdom. In two weeks hence, Prince Luccan was to be tried for treason. His crime, plotting to kill both his great-grandfather, the King Caeluum II, and the high mage Gollan. His wife, the princess consort Agatha, was excluded from the charge; the gossips were still deciding if it was because she had yet to give birth- the king would need a new heir- or because she truly was innocent.

None of the courtiers thought to question the prince's guiltiness. The servants did, but they kept quiet as they had all through the years. They knew the truth behind Caeluum's reign of peace; it had been bolstered by a brutal temper and a refusal to accept mistakes. If any spoke against or questioned what they heard, that one was never heard of again.

Now the prince languished in a cell. A very nice cell, to be sure, so he could not really be languishing. But it was a cell nonetheless, and it had been ages since a member of the royal family had been thrown in a cell. There were rumours that the princess consort refused to see her husband, she was so ashamed; yet others claimed that she never left his side, putting her unborn child at risk.

In truth, Agatha went down to see Luccan as often as she was allowed, which depended on the day. Kallia often accompanied her along with her chamber maid; the two would play cards while Agatha spoke with Luccan.

Not long after Luccan had been arrested, Kallia had told Agatha that she would go to the king and tell him what she knew. But Luccan would have none of it.

"I will still be condemned," he had said harshly. "The king will loose face if he says that trying me was a mistake. People already question his judgment; they would call for him to step down if he admitted that he was wrong! No, you both stay quiet. Run the first chance that you get."

But there was never any chance. Both Agatha and Kallia were watched closely, on the pretext that Agatha was due soon. In reality it was another month and a half, but at this point, technicalities were disregarded.

They stayed quiet and waited. Caeluum and Gollan also stayed quiet, watched, and ground their teeth in frustration. They had to know. Was Jonnathon coming back, or was he dead? They would pay anything to know, even if it meant blood.

--

The news, when it reached Eunomia, shocked everyone. They had all liked the Prince Luccan from when he came through the duchy five years ago. No one could believe that he would plot to kill the king, though, as one old man sighed, "can't blame him for wanting to."

Jonnathon had been awake for almost a week when the news arrived. His strength, though not what it once was, had returned. And what was more important, so had his magic, and in full strength. His temper had flared when he had learned that Caeluum lived, but it had been replaced with shocked disbelief when he heard the news.

"He will have no sure heir," Jonnathon remarked after Kenton had relayed the news to both him and Frederick. "What if the child is stillborn, or a girl? I cannot believe he is doing this. What does he want?"

"I think," Kenton said softly and slowly, not wanting to cause another flare of temper, "it is because he wants Kallia to divulge what she knows about your fate. We told her to lie, and it appears that she did."

"But Caeluum would never fully believe her, nor would Gollan," Jonnathon said coldly. "Does it still take about ten days to get to the capitol from here?" When no one answered, he turned from the window and glared at all of them.

"I am going," he stated firmly. "Whether you approve or not and whether or not I get any help. She is in danger."

"And the prince?" Frederick asked softly.

"He is my nephew," Jonnathon sighed, "And if he has angered Caeluum enough to get treason charges levied against him, I suppose he deserves a chance."

The other three men in the room relaxed.

"We will help you Jonn," Frederick said, smiling. "And you are going to have to make it to the capitol even faster than that. The messengers probably arrived here six days after the news was given, and you will not be able to leave until tomorrow at the earliest."

"Lucky for me then that treason trials take at least three days."

--

"This court is in session to hear the case against Prince Luccan, 48th of his line, and great-grandson to His Majesty, King Caeluum II.

"Let it be recorded that the second session of the second day has begun, and that the king is rebutting the prince's arguments," the bailiff cried out, silencing the spectators. Kallia and Agatha sat in silence, as they had for the first day. They knew that the trial was fixed, how could they not? In any matter, the prince had only been given half a day to make his arguments, whereas the king had all of the first day and then a half day to make his rebuttal. The sentencing was to be tomorrow.

The king's head lawyer stood up, gathering all the attention.

"My first point will be on the prince's claim that his grandfather has grown paranoid in his old age. Will the good Doctor Nall come forth?"

Just as the esteemed doctor stood, the doors flew open and the room grew cold. Kallia and Agatha, along with some other ladies and children of high status, were ushered out by the guards just as a man began to slowly stride into the chamber. Kallia managed to look back and catch a quick glance, and her breath caught in her throat.

"What is it," Agatha hissed, catching her stunned expression.

"Jonnathon…"

--

"My apologies," Jonnathon said coldly. "But due to an altercation, I was delayed."

Everyone stared at him, especially Caeluum and Gollan. No one spoke, until Jonnathon broke the silence a few moments later.

"Surprised, are you brother?" he asked. "I suppose I would be too; the spell, after all, is not supposed to stop aging." Caeluum paled, but no one other than Jonnathon noticed. Everyone was watching him.

"W-w-w-who are you?" the judge sputtered. Jonnathon smiled.

"The honour is Caeluum's, I believe, to reintroduce his brother to the court."

Celuum did not speak, but stood holding Jonnathon's gaze. As the two brothers shot daggers at one another, Gollan sent out two spells. One was for the mage prince, whom he knew would deflect it, and the other was for the prince. The latter spell was designed to give off a great deal of light and confusion, therefore allowing him, as head mage, to direct blame at the new arrival and tie up loose ends at the same time.

But neither spell hit its mark, and Gollan suddenly found himself immobile.

"You must think me an idiot," Jonnathon growled. "To be fooled by such a pathetic diversion. In fact," he paused here, thinking for a moment, "Yes, you did use such a move against me once before, when we were being tested to see who was better. I beat you then; did you think that I had only gotten worse?"

"But you-" Gollan croaked out, and Jonnathon smiled.

"Have not used magic in, oh, eighty odd years? I know. But Magic favours me, as she never did you." Gollan paled.

"You are not my brother," Caeluum spat, desperate to regain control of the situation. "Jonnathon died years ago; what are you, some sort of shape shifter?"

Jonnathon's eyes flashed dangerously, and the air became heavy.

_**Veritatem dic**_ he commanded, and Caeluum stiffened, his eyes wide.

"Now my good judge," Jonnathon smiled, though his voice was ice cold, "Ask my brother to introduce me and what happened the night I disappeared."

The judge, though stunned, did as he asked.

"Who is this man?"

And Caeluum answered through gritted teeth, trying to keep the words in. "He is my brother. His title is the Princeps Magus Jonnus, or the Mage Prince Jonnathon."

The room was silent. Gollan, though he tried, could not break the spell of silence laid on him. He remembered Jonnathon's spells being like nets; they would envelop a person and had no hard sides to batter against. He searched for the openings in the net's mesh- for there always was one- but found nothing. He continued to search, his heart sinking as Caeluum related the events of the night painfully slowly; he knew he could never beat his old school rival, but he was hoping to find a way to call death to him.

At the end of his tale, Caeluum looked around the room, terrified by the expressions he saw. Jonnathon's eyes were lit with savage joy, his vengeance finally being carried out.

"Why?" this question came not from the judge, but from Luccan, who was looking at his grandfather with a mixed look of disgust and resignation. Caeluum, before he was forced to answer by the truth spell, despaired; his grandson had known all along what he was like. Who else had he failed to fool?

"Because I did not want him to take _my_ throne," he hissed.

"Do you not recall me protesting that I did _not_ want it?" Jonnathon snarled in reply.

"You lied!" Caeluum shouted, unable to restrain his anger any longer. "You were always after it, always looking to father for praise and promotions! How long did I have until you bewitched him to take my place?"

Jonnathon's eyes literally blackened, and the air crackled.

"The king is bespelled against bespellment," he whispered, "As you very well know. I was simply in your way, was I not?"

Caeluum and Gollan feared for their lives. The majority of the people in the chamber feared for theirs as well.

And then the door opened, and a young woman ran into the room, halting just past the door frame.

"Jonnathon!" she called out, "Stop!"

A/N: I am so so so very sorry this took so long. I don't know how many times I rewrote the confrontation…

And for the curious, the Latin command is "speak the truth".

Reviews are always loved; please don't yell at me for being so late!! D:


	8. Chapter 8

"Jonnathon," Kallia called out, "Stop!" Her skirt swirled around her legs and her hair partially obscured her face as she stopped. Jonnathon's eyes returned to their normal grey, and Kallia relaxed a little bit; she even smiled slightly.

Then her arm was grabbed savagely, and she shouted shrilly in surprise.

"Got you," the furious guard snarled. "Next time you'll think twice about running off."

"Let her go," Jonnathon commanded, and the guard looked up to see the furious mage staring at him.

"Do as he says," Luccan added quietly when the guard shot confused and then panicked looks to Caeluum and Gollan. "He is my uncle."

--

The court had been disbanded, and the king removed to his quarters. Caeluum had raged the entire way, shouting obscenities and raving. Already whispers were going around, suggesting that the Prince Luccan was to reign as regent until his grandfather finally passed on.

Gollan had looked over at Jonnathon when he was released and shook his head.

"May I go?" he had asked, his body slumped in complete defeat. Jonnathon, after looking over at Kallia, merely nodded. The old mage disappeared in the hassle.

When Agatha entered the room, the Mage Prince and her sister were nowhere to be found. The nobles' council had come together, of its own accord, and was in discussion with Luccan. She went over to join them, not missing the look of relief on Luccan's face to see her.

"It is good to see you well," one of the elder members said in greeting, bowing. She smiled, nodding her head.

"Knowing that I am not going to loose a husband has helped my condition a great deal," she said. A light ripple of laughter came from the body in appreciation of her wit.

"Where is Kallia?" she asked Luccan.

"She escaped with the Mage Prince to the gardens," he said, smiling. "I think the questions became too much for both."

Agatha nodded, the last bit of anxiety leaving her body. Luccan took her hand and placed in the crook of his arm, needing to touch her and yet still having to conform to society's rules of behaviour. Agatha smiled up at him, lightly resting her other hand on his arm for a moment before turning her attention back to the council.

"We must schedule the coronation as soon as possible," a particularly distinguished man was saying, his brows creased over an aquiline nose. "The king clearly is not fit to rule."

"And has not been so for quite some time now," another, younger, member muttered. The previous speaker raised an eyebrow but politely stayed silent.

"The king's extended rule is no one's fault but his," Luccan said softly, "And Gollan's. But that is over; we must move forward."

The council members all nodded their heads, murmuring in agreement.

"Steward," called the first noble who had spoken to Agatha, "How long will it take to arrange a proper coronation?"

The head of staff came towards their group, bowing to the prince and princess. "A week, give or take a few days, my lord," he said gravely. "The staff like my lord prince. They will work extra hard for him."

Luccan smiled at the older man, glad for his unspoken support. "Then we will set it for next Sun's Day."

"Very good sire," the steward said, bowing. "I shall inform the others." He turned gracefully to leave and disappeared into the crowd, reappearing long enough to leave the great hall.

--

Kallia and Jonnathon wandered through the palace gardens, walking close together. Kallia had both her hands on Jonnathon's arm; one rested in the crook of his elbow and the other on his forearm.

They walked in silence, savouring each other's presence. It was only when they reached a secluded side room with a beautifully carved marble bench that they stopped. They sat down, facing one another in silence; their hands clasped together, their fingers entwined.

Then Jonnathon raised one hand, cupping it around the side of Kallia's face, striking the contours of her cheek.

"I was so worried about you," he breathed. Kallia laughed around the tears that had started to slip down her face, and she placed one of her own hands on top of his.

"You were worried about me?" she asked, smiling through her tears of joy, "I did not know whether the wounds were fatal!" Jonnathon just pulled her into a tight embrace, and whispered,

"Well, it's over now, and that's what matters. Come back with me, little Beauty; marry me, please?"

Kallia looked deep into his grey eyes and smiled.

"Of course," she breathed, smiling broadly. Jonnathon tightened his arms slightly, smiling broadly as well, and he lowered his forehead until it rested against hers.

"Open your mind," he whispered, and Kallia shut her eyes in concentration, trying to find that openness that had allowed the invisible servants to speak to her.

Suddenly she found it, and a wave of love and happiness engulfed her. Gasping softly in shock, she opened her eyes to look up at Jonnathon, who suddenly found himself in a similar wave of happiness and love.

Reluctantly, they broke apart, only to return to that closeness when Jonnathon leaned down again, this time in a kiss.

--

The threatening of rain clouds saw the return of the Mage Prince and Kallia to the palace. Luccan and Agatha were on the covered pavilion, resting and waiting for the couple. Kallia, upon seeing her sister and brother-in-law, pulled Jonnathon towards them, laughing when he tripped.

After the flurry of introductions, the four entered the palace and made their way slowly towards the private dining room. Jonnathon and Luccan were talking about the upcoming coronation and what to do with Caeluum when Agatha's squeal cut into their conversation.

She and Kallia were holding each other in a tight embrace, laughing and crying.

"A wedding, Luccan! They're getting married!" Agatha said, laughing.

Luccan only nodded, trying not to laugh. "Congratulations, to you both," he said smiling, clasping his uncle on the shoulder. Kallia beamed, and Jonnathon returned Luccan's smile.

The two sisters were then off, chattering about dresses, flowers, food, and all the other necessary things for a proper wedding. Jonnathon watched them go off, his face loosing a little colour.

"Are… weddings still as bad as they used to be?" he asked Luccan hesitantly. The prince shrugged.

"Royal ones are," he said honestly. "They still last a full week. But you should be good, if you catch them early in the planning stage and suggest a small wedding." Jonnathon nodded and sighed. Luccan laughed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

--

The coronation of King Luccan and his wife, the Queen Agatha, was an event that, generations later, people were still talking about.

Yet it was the marriage which occurred several months later that remained on the tongues of gossips. Jonnathon had managed to put in his request for a small- a _very_ small- wedding, and Kallia had conceded the point. After all, neither had a large family they were required to invite for Kallia's father had never reconciled with his working class family after he became a merchant and Jonnathon had never bothered himself with his relatives, nor they with him. Thus the wedding was small and relatively unspoken of. The two then disappeared from court life, reappearing only when Jonnathon's magical expertise was required or when the queen requested her sister's presence.

The two had returned to the duchy of Eunomia, and, with the able help of the two stewards, managed it in the name of the king. Kallia handled the day to day affairs, leaving Jonnathon to complete the command that Magic had laid upon him just before he woke from his fever. Mages of all levels visited, imparting their own knowledge in return for the Mage Prince's new discoveries.

While the normality of their lives was a welcome relief for the pair, it made for poor stories. The prince always went off to have grand adventures with his lady; he did not resort to a quiet, scholarly life. The lady always became a great queen, as wise and kind as she was beautiful; she did not play second fiddle to her sister.

Thus, as the years separated the tellers of the story from the Mage Prince and his Beauty, their tale changed, and it ends something like this…

_The Mage Prince, after being restored by his love's own love for him, pleaded with the Mistress Magic, swearing to make her name great if only she would allow him to live._

_Grudgingly, she acquiesced and returned him to our world, healed. The Mage Prince did not waste a minute, but ordered that the fastest steed which Eunomia possessed be brought to him. After a hasty meal, he embarked to the capitol city, supplementing his mount's strength with his magic._

_Furious at his brother's actions and full of fear for his Beauty, he stormed through the castle halls, seeking out the king and the prince._

_Only to find that he was too late._

_The prince and his bride had been convicted of high treason, and not even the child in her belly could save Agatha. They had been executed, their heads sliced off by a golden sword, as was customary for those of the royal family._

_Yet the sentence had not yet been pronounced for Kallia, for the king still wished to know what had become of his brother. Thus, as he was ordering her for the last time to tell him the whereabouts of the Mage Prince- and she refused once again, before he even finished his order- the Mage Prince threw the doors open and came to the rescue of his love._

_Magic thundered around him, reflecting the blood lust of the great Lady. Mistress Magic had been misused by the king and his high mage, and she would have her compensation. The Mage Prince was merely the collector._

_No one ever saw the king and the high mage after that day. Faced with no king and no heir, the nobles overturned the law barring the magically talented from the throne. In a month long celebration, the people celebrated and toasted to the marriage of the Mage Prince and his Beauty and to their coronation as king and queen._

_Kallia proved to be a queen both kind and wise, tempering the severity of her husband. The Mage Prince was a cautious, yet fair, king, having learned that everything must be weighed carefully. In return for Magic's boon, he expanded the university and acquired new rare books for study, and he used his own magics for the betterment of the nation and its people._

_Mistress Magic smile upon the land, and when the Magic Prince and his Beauty heard the enticing call of silent death, they went together. Their descendants, who still rule today, reign with both kindness and severity, with wisdom and temperance._

And while this story is not entirely true- for the descendants of Jonnathon and Kallia did eventually marry into the royal line of inheritance- it has warmed and bolstered the hearts of many a wearied soul. Many more young men and women flocked to the university and pleased the temperamental Mistress Magic, and many a young man has taken comfort in the fact that if a beast can gain a wife, then so can he.

After all, what are fireside stories for but to warm and bolster the heart?

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A/N: First off, I am so sorry that this story took so long to finish, especially the last part. I really need to stick to shorter stories. As in 3 chapters, max.

That being said, thanks so much to everyone who kept up with this story, with updates coming at the same rate as ice ages. I couldn't have finished this story without all the reviews and the PM's and reviews asking when the next chapter would be up. Thank you.


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